Oscars 2023 Win for India Goes to Naatu Naatu from RRR and The Elephant Whispers by Guneet Monga

Naatu Naatu from RRR film won the Best Original Song and The Elephant Whispers by Guneet Monga won the Documentary Short Subject award at Oscars 2023.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: March 15, 2023

Directed by SS Rajamouli, RRR surprised everyone at the Oscars with the song Naatu Naatu winning the Academy Award for the Best Original Song category. Back in 2009, Jai Ho, a song by AR Rahman had sealed the deed at the Oscars with a win in the same category. And now after so many years, Naatu Naatu repeated history with an Oscar win. The song also grabbed a Grammy award, making the Indian film fraternity proud. The RRR team shared their emotional response on Twitter that they are blessed for being the first feature film to have won Oscars for India in the Best Song Category.

The live performance by the singers Rahul and Kaala on Naatu Naatu accompanied by American dancers had already received a standing ovation from the audience. The award was collected by lyricist Chandrabose and composer MM Keeravani on behalf of the team. The event saw attendance from singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, director SS Rajamouli, actors Ram Charan and Jr. NTR, and the composers. The team on Twitter also described that the win was a surreal moment and no words can describe it.

On the other hand, Guneet Monga contributed second Oscar for India with a win in the Documentary Short Subject category for The Elephant Whispers. The documentary plot is about a family adopting two orphan baby elephants, and caring for them at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. Monga and Achin Jain (Sikhya Entertainment) are the producers of this emotionally-rich tale, a true reflection of unconditional love, warmth, patience, and a bond of environment and creatures with the indigenous communities.

Back in 2019, ‘Period. End of Sentence’ a documentary by Guneet Monga won Oscars in the category of Documentary Short Subject. The 95^th Academy Awards for the two women, outdid several other documentaries such as How Do You Measure a Year? Stranger at the Gate, Haulout, and The Martha Mitchell Effect, to bag the trophy. The Elephant Whisperers is directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, who believes the documentary reached the harmony of coexistence between the natural world and us.